Diaper



y Dec. 30, 1958y M R, SOBELSON 2,866,459

. DIAPER Filed April 9, 1956 Arrok/Vfr United States Patent DIAPER Marion R. Sobelson, Atlanta, Ga. Application April 9, 1956, serial N6. 577,126

6 claims. (c1. 12s-284) l leys which become a source of discomfort and irritation.

In laundering, the article must be fully unfolded to present an approximate yard square of surface to be washed and dried. The refolding of the article for use is time consuming and requires painstaking accuracy in order to avoid wrinkles which might chaff the tender skin of l the infant.'

It is among the objects `of the present invention to provide a novel and improved article of the class de scribed in which a minimum of surface area may provide a maximum of absorbent body at the areas where such absorption is most desirable. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is formed permanently in the shapel required for use thus avoiding any necessity for folding or forming for application, or the usual opening and spreading manipulations for laundering.

A further object is to provide, by means of gathering and elastic stitching, a readily yieldable and conformable diaper which, while providing adequate material where needed, will not bind nor spread the infants limbs when applied.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a reversible diaper which may be inverted for laundering so as to insure complete sanitation with a minimum of laundering eifort.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan View of one preferred form of the present invention showing the diaper stretched.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the diaper in its normal unstretched condition of repose.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the diaper as applied to an infant.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section View taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

While various aspects of the present inventive concept may be variously incorporated in a wide variety of diapers, bandages and like protective devices, that form of the invention here presented by way of illustration may be generally defined as a diaper preferably of tubular, and hence reversible form. One feature of the invention is the provision of elastic stitching at the two longitudinal sides of the device, such stitching being ap- .plied while stretched so that upon relaxing of the article Faiented Dec. 30, 1958 rice after stitching the elasticity of the longitudinal edges will tend to maintain the article in substantially longitudinal semi-circular form, thus yieldably conforming the shape to that assumed when the diaper is applied to an infant. Another important feature of the invention is the provision of parallel Vtransverse elastic stitchings applied in stretched condition so that in repose the diaper will have a transverse curvature as well as longitudinal curvature. This provision of parallel transverse stitchings as well as the longitudinal stitchings forms the article in both longitudinal and transverse gatherings so that, despite the fact that the material need not be folded upon itself, nevertheless a crimped or crinkled soft absorbent mass of diaper material is insured throughout the-entire area, and when applied such mass is increased at the desired areas of contact due to the conforming of the article to the place of application.

Referring now in more detail to that form of the invention presented by the drawings, it is to be understood that the present article is formed of a single sheet of tbe usually loose woven and unglazed cotton diaper material. In the present drawings the body material is generally indicated by the numeral 10. As more clearly indicated by the partially stretched form of the article in Fig. 1, the body is preferably formed of a normally rectangular piece of the body material. While in some `instances a single thickness of body material' might sufof the diaper to the infant, hence prolonging the useful life by increasing the applicable wear surface.

The longitudinal stitching of the free edges of the material 1t) may be a preliminary operation with the usual inelastic thread; however, both of the longitudinal edges are stitched while stretched to their full length-with a stretched elastic thread indicated at 12, or they are otherwise yieldably engaged by appropriate elastic so that in repose the edges are formed in a longitudinal are as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted, of course, that, after Stitching, as the elastic is relaxed there will be formed edge gatherings as indicated at 13. While this longitudinal elastic stitching is confined to the side edges of the material it will have the effect of forming the Whole body of the material with a longitudinal curvature of more or less degree as indicated in Fig. 2. Since the curvature at the central portion of the article is less than that of the side edges the configuration is somewhat pocket-like to securely enclose the desired areas and yet to relieve the sensitive body parts from undue pressure and consequent chaiiing.

In addition to the longitudinal edge stitchings 12, the body of the diaper material is provided throughout its length with parallel transverse elastic stitchings 14 or equivalent elastic securement in the manner of the stretched application of the edge securement whereby the body is normally gathered transversely to yield upon transverse stretch but to provide transverse puckerings or gatherings 15. Such transverse parallel elastic stitchings form the diaper with a transverse curvature when in repose as seen in Fig. 2, thus contributing to the pocketlike form when the article is unstretched. It will further be noted that since both transverse as well as longitudinal gatherings are formed, the longitudinal puckers or gathers 15 will be of crinkled form due to the contraction applied by the stretched longitudinal stitching which, as before noted, has a compressive effect transversely throughout the body. Similarly, the transverse stretched elastic stitchings will have a transverse contraction effect at Kthe longi-4 tudinal edges to crinkle the longitudinal gatherings.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the article here presented forms a yieldable diaper or bandage normally of curved cross-section in both longitudinal and transverse directions, and one freely yieldable in both directions to comfortably conform itself to the limbs 17 m fitting the diaper to an infant is encountered. It willl also be noted that the tubular character of the construction permits inversion of the article as an assistance in rapid and thorough laundering, and permits the opposite sides of the material to be applied next tothe infants skin and thus enhance the useful life of the diaper.

In the practice of the invention numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents maybe resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a diaper comprising a rectangular sheet folded upon-itself andstitched at its Vedges to forma-,tubular body, longitudinally extending edge elastic means normally contracting the longitudinal edges of said Vbody into longitudinal gatherings and a longitudinal curvature,4

and a plurality of parallel transverse elastic means normally contracting the material transversely into transverse gatherings and a transverse curvature.

2. A diaper comprising a substantially rectangular body of absorbent cotton fabric folded upon itself and stitched together along the free edges opposite the fold to form a tubular body having longitudinally extending side areas of material, elastic stitching applied along the longitudinal edges of the tubular body while such edges and the stitching thread is stretched in order to provide longitudinal gatherings and to dispose the diaper in longitudinally curved configuration when in repose, and separate parallel rows of elastic stitching applied to each side of the tubular body while such sides and the stitching thread is stretched in order to provide each side with individual transverse gatherings and to dispose the diaper in transversely curved configuration when in repose.

3. The diaper as-set forth in claim 2 in which thu resilient gatherings cooperate to provide a crinkling si the material.

4. A diaper comprising a tubular reversible body transversely curved and resiliently stretchable, said body having uniformly convex side edges from end to end stitched to induce a normal longitudinal curvature.

5. A diaper comprising `a tubular reversible body transversely curved and resiliently stretchable, said body having uniformly convex side edges from end to end, stitched to induce a normal longitudinal curvature, irrespective of the` inverted condition of said body.

6. A diaper comprising a tubularfresilient body trans versely curved and resiliently stretchable, said body having `uniformly convex side edges from end to end, stretchable to induce a normal longitudinal curvature and being of substantially greater length than breadth.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,833,960 Alsop Dec. 1, `1931 2,062,594 McNair Dec. l, :1.936

2,523,989 Geeslin Sept. A26, 1950 2,701,567 Smith Feb.4 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 425,135 Great Britain Mar..7, 193,5

841,644 France Feb. 13, 1939 

